The opening slot of the High Voltage Festival went to the rejuvenated Scottish neo-prog rockers whose new lease on life has come through the release of XXV, their critically acclaimed follow-up (albeit 20 years later) to The Sentinel. On the strength of this, they drew a huge audience for such an early act and they did not disappoint.

With new singer Paul Mackie on board, they delivered a blistering showcase of the new XXV songs kicking off with “Falling Down,” the album’s thundering opener. With only half an hour at their disposal, Mackie demonstrated a powerful physical presence and emotional expressiveness in his strong voice against a backdrop of sizzling guitar flurries by Niall Mathewson and Graeme Murray’s volcanic bass. 

The big money track was the album’s flagship song “Monster” and despite Mackie’s slightly missed cue on one of the choruses, it got the crowd singing along.  By the time they closed with one of their best known older songs “Arrive Alive,” they had just set the bar so high for the rest of the afternoon.  A pulsating performance was delivered by Pallas and look out for them on tour because they are currently totally on top of their game.

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